Abstract: A rotor assembly includes a lamination stack, a pilot shaft for providing radial piloting for the lamination stack, and clamp for applying an axially compressive force to the lamination stack. Decoupling the piloting from the clamping allows the diameter of the rotor assembly to be increased. Resulting is a rotor assembly having a shorter axial length and higher tip speed.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for dissipating heat in a generator. A rotor having support wedges between each of its poles is mounted on a bored shaft in which a bored spindle having helical grooves along its outer diameter is fixed. A cooling medium is circulated through the bored shaft upon rotation of the shaft. The shaft has at least one outlet and one inlet through which the cooling medium can radially exit and return, respectively. Each of the support wedges has an inlet and an outlet between which a bore extends. In a preferred embodiment, a manifold is disposed about the bored shaft and mated to each of the support wedges so as to circulate the cooling medium from the bored shaft to the support wedges and back to the bored shaft, thereby dissipating heat from the generator rotor. In alternate embodiments more than one manifold is used to circulate the cooling medium through the support wedges.